The morning sun streamed through the windows into the Hufflepuff dormitory. Ernie and Justin dragged Charlie out of bed.
"Get up! We're going to be late for Transfiguration!" Ernie cried, stamping his foot.
"It's the first class of the school year, too."
"Professor McGonagall isn't someone you want to mess with. I heard she's really strict."
Charlie blinked sleepily, his head still fuzzy.
His adventure with the Weasley Twins the night before had left him with hardly any sleep, and now he was exhausted.
"Let me sleep for five more minutes..."
Charlie buried his face in his pillow, his voice muffled.
"No way!" Ernie yanked Charlie's blanket away.
"Did you know? I heard from an older student that someone was late to class on the first day and Professor McGonagall turned him into a frog. He couldn't change back for a whole week!"
Justin chimed in from the side:
"I heard it was a skunk."
"Whatever it was, it was terrifying!" Ernie said firmly.
Charlie sat up helplessly and rubbed his eyes.
"Fine, fine. I'm up."
The three of them hurriedly washed up, grabbed their bags, and ran to class.
On the way, Ernie kept going on about the importance of Transfiguration and how strict Professor McGonagall was.
"She's the Head of Gryffindor. They say she's an expert at Transfiguration."
The Transfiguration classroom was on the castle's second floor. The three of them arrived before the bell rang.
Quite a few students were already in the classroom. The first-year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had this class together.
Ernie led Charlie straight to an empty seat in the front row, with Justin following close behind.
"Why do we have to sit in the front?" Charlie complained.
"Wouldn't the back be better?"
"Of course we have to sit in the front!" Ernie said earnestly.
"That way, we can hear the lecture better and see what's on the board."
Charlie rolled his eyes but obediently sat down.
"Why hasn't the teacher arrived yet?"
Justin looked around. The teacher's desk was empty.
Charlie lay down on his desk, his eyelids already drooping.
"Then I can get some more sleep..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tucked his head into his arms. His breathing soon grew even.
Ernie nudged him, but when he couldn't wake him, he let Charlie sleep a little longer.
After all, Professor McGonagall hadn't arrived yet. They could wake Charlie when she got there.
Justin's mouth twitched. Some friend you are, bringing him to the front row just so he can sleep.
Just then, a tabby cat slipped silently through the door and sprang lightly onto the teacher's desk.
Its back was covered in unusual markings, and the markings around its eyes resembled spectacles, giving it a particularly stern look.
"Wow, what a cute cat!" a Ravenclaw girl whispered in admiration.
The tabby scanned the classroom, then fixed its gaze on Charlie, who was fast asleep in the front row.
It narrowed its eyes and swished its tail gently. Then it jumped down from the desk and walked gracefully over to Charlie's.
Ernie and Justin stared at the cat, unsure where it had come from.
"Is it Professor McGonagall's pet?" Ernie whispered.
Justin shrugged. "Maybe. It seems really clever."
The tabby jumped onto Charlie's desk and sat up straight, its tail neatly curled around its body.
It stared at Charlie for a while, then stretched out a paw and gently tapped his head.
Charlie didn't react at all, remaining deep in his dreams.
The tabby seemed puzzled. It was class time, wasn't it? Hadn't she got her schedule right?
It tapped Charlie's head again, this time a little harder.
Charlie still showed no sign of waking. He only mumbled a few unintelligible words in his sleep.
The tabby's tail began to swish, and a stern glint flashed in its eyes.
It was about to reach out with its paw again when Charlie suddenly stirred in his sleep.
His arm reached out, and while the cat was momentarily stunned, he pulled the tabby into his arms as if it were a stuffed toy.
He shifted position, rested his head against the cat's soft body, and went right on sleeping peacefully.
[Your Majesty manhandles a teacher and humiliates the Grand Tutor. Tyrant Points +5]
Even the system's voice couldn't wake Charlie. He only muttered a couple of times.
The tabby went stiff, its eyes wide with shock at the sudden move.
It tried to break free, but Charlie was holding it too tightly. It didn't want to hurt a student with its claws, and for a moment, it couldn't move at all.
Ernie and Justin stared in shock, unsure whether they should rescue the cat.
"That cat's so well-behaved," Justin whispered in admiration.
"My mum had a cat once. The moment you touched it, it'd try to scratch you."
Ernie nodded.
"Yeah, it's really docile. I wonder whose pet it is. I'd like to have a cat like that, too."
For some reason, Ernie had the feeling the tabby glared at them with displeasure, its eyes seeming to hold some sort of warning.
He couldn't help shivering.
"Don't you think that cat's eyes look kind of human?"
Ernie whispered to Justin.
The tabby swept its tail across Charlie's nose, trying to wake him.
The ticklish, furry tail brushed his nose. Charlie frowned and finally woke up.
He opened his eyes blearily and realized he was hugging a cat. He froze.
The tabby seized the chance to wriggle free, leapt nimbly off the desk, and darted out of the classroom.
Charlie stared blankly in the direction the cat had disappeared, then turned to Ernie and Justin.
"What was that? Why was I hugging a cat?"
Ernie sighed with relief. "Thank goodness, you're finally awake. No idea where that cat came from. You hugged it in your sleep."
"Good thing Professor McGonagall hasn't arrived yet," Justin said, also relieved.
"If she'd seen you sleeping in class, she'd definitely have taken points off."
They'd all seen how stern Professor McGonagall was during yesterday's Sorting.
Before long, the classroom door opened and Professor McGonagall strode in.
Ernie noticed that she seemed to be walking rather hurriedly, and her robes were a little disheveled, as if someone had just manhandled her.
Ernie was startled by his own thought. She was the Head of Gryffindor—who could manhandle her? Dumbledore?
"Silence!"
Professor McGonagall tapped the desk with her wand, and the classroom fell silent at once.
"Welcome to Transfiguration. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall." Her voice was stern and clear.
"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous branches of magic taught at Hogwarts. Anyone who misbehaves in my classroom will be asked to leave and will never be allowed back."
As she spoke, she flicked her wand and transformed the desk into a pig, which squealed and snorted.
Everyone grew solemn, and no one questioned Professor McGonagall's words again.
"Let's open our books to the five exceptions of Transfiguration."
Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the classroom, but she felt deeply frustrated.
She had transformed into a tabby to scare the first-years into paying attention, but Charlie had interrupted her.
After losing face in front of so many students, she couldn't very well change back in front of them. She'd had to run out and transform back into a person.
Charlie sat up straight, but his mind had wandered far away.
As soon as Professor McGonagall started the lesson, a powerful wave of drowsiness washed over him.
His adventure the night before had left him with hardly any sleep, and now his eyelids were drooping.
Professor McGonagall glanced toward Charlie. Seeing him sitting properly in his seat, looking down at his textbook with his legs bouncing nonstop, she assumed he was paying attention and continued the lecture.
Little did she know, Charlie had been gone for quite some time.
Even when he was asleep, he sat bolt upright, his legs bouncing rhythmically. It was a special skill he'd picked up after years of school.
[Your Majesty neglects state affairs and sleeps excessively, growing dull-witted. Tyrant Points +2]
The system's notifications sounded in Charlie's mind from time to time, but he was already deep in his dreams and couldn't hear them at all.
As the lesson progressed, they had covered most of the theory.
"Now, we'll do our first practical exercise." Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and a match appeared in front of each student.
"Today's task is to turn this match into a silver needle. Remember the incantation and wand movement I just taught you."
The students excitedly picked up their wands and began trying the Transfiguration Spell.
The classroom soon filled with incantations and sighs of failure.
Ernie gently nudged Charlie. "Wake up! Professor McGonagall wants us to turn the matches into silver needles!"
Charlie still didn't react.
Ernie was sweating with worry, shaking Charlie by the shoulders again and again.
Professor McGonagall noticed the commotion. She put down her lesson plan and walked over to Charlie.
"Mr. White, how are you getting on?"
Professor McGonagall stood in front of Charlie and asked in a stern voice.
Ernie went pale with fright, and Justin was too nervous to make a sound.
But to their surprise, at the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice, Charlie immediately opened his eyes as if he'd never been asleep.
"Hello, Professor." Charlie gave her a polite smile, his voice impossibly alert.
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "What was the task I just assigned, Mr. White?"
Before you continue